The first collection of short fiction from Pulitzer Prize-winner Jeffrey Eugenides, author of The Virgin Suicides, Middlesex, and The Marriage Plot.
Jeffrey Eugenides’s bestselling novels have shown him to be an astute observer of the crises of adolescence, self-discovery, family love, and what it means to be American in our times.
The stories in Fresh Complaint explore equally rich­­––­­and intriguing––territory. Ranging from the bitingly reproductive antics of “Baster” to the dreamy, moving account of a young
traveler’s search for enlightenment in “Air Mail” (selected by Annie Proulx for Best American Short Stories), this collection presents characters in the midst of personal and national
emergencies. We meet a failed poet who, envious of other people’s wealth during the real-estate bubble, becomes an embezzler; a clavichordist whose dreams of art founder under the obligations of
marriage and fatherhood; and, in “Fresh Complaint,” a high school student whose wish to escape the strictures of her immigrant family lead her to a drastic decision that upends the life of a
middle-aged British physicist.
Narratively compelling, beautifully worded, and packed with a density of ideas despite their fluid grace, these stories chart the development and maturation of a major American author.

Summary

Summary

Among longlisted titles for The Guardian (UK) Best Books of the Year, 2017

A New York Times Book Review Notable Books of the Year selection

A Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year pick for 2017

An NPR Best Book of the Year selection

A New York Times Book Review pick of books now in paperback

The first collection of short fiction from Pulitzer Prize-winner Jeffrey Eugenides, author of The Virgin Suicides, Middlesex, and The Marriage Plot.

Jeffrey Eugenides’s bestselling novels have shown him to be an astute observer of the crises of adolescence, self-discovery, family love, and what it means to be American in our times.

The stories in Fresh Complaint explore equally rich­­––­­and intriguing––territory. Ranging from the bitingly reproductive antics of “Baster” to the dreamy, moving account of a young
traveler’s search for enlightenment in “Air Mail” (selected by Annie Proulx for Best American Short Stories), this collection presents characters in the midst of personal and national
emergencies. We meet a failed poet who, envious of other people’s wealth during the real-estate bubble, becomes an embezzler; a clavichordist whose dreams of art founder under the obligations of
marriage and fatherhood; and, in “Fresh Complaint,” a high school student whose wish to escape the strictures of her immigrant family lead her to a drastic decision that upends the life of a
middle-aged British physicist.

Narratively compelling, beautifully worded, and packed with a density of ideas despite their fluid grace, these stories chart the development and maturation of a major American author.

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews

“Line by line, paragraph by paragraph, Eugenides writes like a man who is enjoying himself. The feeling is contagious.” —New York Times

“The collection throughout is marked by a rich wit, an eye for detail, and a sense of the absurd. The plots often involve relationships hitting the skids…[but] Eugenides never holds up his characters for outright mockery…Sprightly or serious, Eugenides consistently writes about complex lives with depth and compassion.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“I’d listen to Fliakos read the phone book. You don’t get him or Nixon to sign on for short stories unless you have something choice in the way of material. And Eugenides certainly delivers that.” —NJ.com (audio review)

“It’s not a surprise that Cynthia Nixon would be a good audiobook reader. It’s surprising that she isn’t hired to read every audiobook…Fliakos is endlessly entertaining while never letting theatrics outshine the characters on the page. This collection, Eugenides’ first, includes ten stories spanning three decades of the author’s work. Hearing them read in a variety of voices emphasizes the changes in style and point of view that Eugenides has played with throughout his career.” —Booklist (audio review

Reviews

Reviews

Author

Author Bio: Jeffrey Eugenides

Jeffrey Eugenides received the Pulitzer Prize in 2003 for his novel Middlesex, which was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the International IMPAC Dublin
Literary Award, and France’s Prix Médicis was also selected for Oprah’s Book Club. The Marriage Plot was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and won both the Prix
Fitzgerald and the Madame Figaro Literary Prize. The Virgin Suicides was adapted into a critically-acclaimed film by Sofia Coppola. He is a professor of creative writing in the Lewis Center
for the Arts at Princeton.

Titles by Author

Details

Details

Format:

Digital Download

Format:

CD

Available Formats :

Digital Download, CD

Publisher:

Macmillan Audio

Publisher:

Macmillan Audio

CDs:

7

Runtime:

8.05

ISBN:

9781427289230

ISBN:

9781427289223

Audience:

Adult

Language:

English

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